Pipsqueak! The brave rodent turns the tables on the predatory pussycat the moment he is released from its jaws

This is the moment a cornered mouse stood up to a predatory cat and pulled off an extraordinary escape from a life-threatening situation.

When a fierce feline named Tom trapped a wood mouse in his jaws and carried him into the garden in Reigate, Surrey, it looked as though the tiny creature's game was up.

But the wily creature turned out to be a real-life Jerry, and refused to accept his destiny as dinner for the peckish puss.

Furry foes: The battle between the two animals looks just like the mismatched rivalry between cartoon heroes Tom and Jerry

Instead, 'Jerry' took inspiration from the Warner Brothers cartoon caper and turned the tables on his tormentor the second he was released from Tom's teeth, squaring up to the baffled cat.

Homeowner Stephanie Evans said she was amazed to come outside to see a mouse escape from the clutches of her cat Tom.

'He put the mouse down and instead of running away the mouse just fronted him,' she said. 'Tom was so shocked he just stood there.'

Fur flew as the pair fought for a long ten minutes, with Jerry even landing a scratch on Tom's nose as he fought for survival.

True to his animated roots, the sneaky mouse disappeared under a fence at just the right moment, running rings around the confused cat.

Beaten by a whisker: Stephanie Evans and her affronted cat Tom after his failure to ensnare jumped-up Jerry the wood mouse

But the brave rodent was not intimidated into fleeing the area - he was found by a neighbour biding his time in a greenhouse next door.

'He was probably waiting patiently to smash a flower-pot over the cat's head,' said the neighbour.

Tom and Jerry has been a hit with audiences since it was created in 1960, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

The animation centres on a long-running battle of wills between Tom the cat and Jerry the mouse, who constantly outwits his much stronger opponent, as their confrontations inevitably end in scenes of slapstick violence.

Their rivalry is seen as one of the most famous in American cinema, with the show winning seven Oscars - the most ever collected by an animated series.

In 2000, the series was named as one of the greatest television shows of all time by Time magazine.